Often the most popular choice for lawns throughout southern United States. Especially in coastal regions where cold temperature extremes are moderated by oceanic climatic conditions. St. Augustinegrass is native to the Caribbean, Africa and Mediterranean regions, and best adapted to subtropical climates.

Good for coastal regions, thrives in heat, does poorly in cool climates. Excellent to fair under drought conditions. Moderately good to heavy traffic. Somewhat shade tolerant. Can be used in moist, semi-fertile soils. At the moment, most common installation method is sodding or plugs; seeds are very difficult to obtain if not impossible.

HIGHLIGHTS: Compared to finer textured grasses like the bermudas, St. Augustine has large flat stems and broad coarse leaves. It has an attractive blue-green color and forms a deep, fairly dense turf. It spreads by long above-ground runners or stolons. While it is aggressive, it is easily controlled around borders. It produces only a few viable seed and is commonly planted by sod, sprigs, or plugs. St. Augustinegrass is a big thatch producer, more so than other types of grass. It also requires plenty of moisture and is best suited to humid regions. Has good shade tolerance, except for Floratam. Susceptible to fungal diseases.


WARNING: an ingredient in many weed/feed products (2,4-D) designed for cool-season grasses, Bermuda and Bahiagrass, can kill St. Augustine.

Floratam St. Augustine grass for shady, moderate traffic areas, moderate drought resistant, moderate cold tolerance.

Like other Florida turf types, Floratam is a vigorous, coarse textured St. Augustine grass variety. Stolons of Floratam are large, purplish-red in color (demand this characteristic when purchasing sod) with internodes averaging 3 inches in length. Leaf blades are wider and longer than common St. Augustine grass. According to James Beard, TAEX Turf Researcher, tests at A&M concluded it is the most drought-tolerant of all St. Augustine grasses.

Floratam St. Augustine grass was released by the Florida and Texas Agricultural Experiment Stations in 1972 as a SAD virus and chinch bug resistant turf selection. It has since been observed to be brown patch tolerant also.

Floratam is not as cold tolerant as common St. Augustine, so preconditioning by use of Winterizer fertilizer (3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio) in the fall (October) is CRITICAL. Floratam may suffer freeze damage when temperatures fall below freezing for extended periods.

Introduced to the US in the 30s from South America as a feed grass for cattle grazing.

Warm season grass, resistant to drought, disease and insect attacks. Will survive in a variety of soils from sandy to clay and other infertile, dry soils. Requires some maintenance. The grass will thin out over time and has a low tolerance to many weed control herbicides. Used extensively in lawns along coastal areas in Florida. Vigorous growing habit requires frequent mowing during hot weather. It has a coarse blade and is not suitable for soils with high a pH.

Bahiagrass is drought resistant turf. It does well in lawns and along highways, and its best used in sunny areas in warm humid regions. Its roots can extend up to 8' deep.

In Florida, Bahiagrass survives in level areas with no irrigation, but often fails on sandy embankments. It can also be ruined by excess watering, when none is required, and by excess fertilization. Bahia grass normally goes semi-dormant during winter, yet people sometimes fertilize and water it to keep it green in winter, and thereby encourage weed populations.

There are no post-emergence herbicides for grassy weeds in Bahiagrass, which is a problem. Most weed problems in Bahiagrass could be avoided by proper seed establishment and timely mowing. The large state agencies responsible for maintenance of utility turf struggle to find funds to keep Bahiagrass mown properly. In summer its rapid vertical growth and exuberant seed head production are remarkable.

Planting: seed or sod
Shade tolerance: moderate
Watering: low, and survives drought. Does well in soggy areas.
Mowing Height: 2" - 4" Mow regularly to avoid the numerous tall seed heads that pop up.
Pests: brown patch, dollar spot, mole crickets
NOTE: Bahiagrass is not an aggressive spreader and does not require excessive fertilization.
When fertilizer is applied, it should contain iron, especially if the soil pH is 7 or more.

Centipede Grass is a low, medium textured, slow growing, but aggressive grass that can produce a dense, attractive, weed-free turf. It is more shade tolerant than bermudagrass but less shade tolerant than St. Augustine and zoysiagrass. Since centipede produces only surface runners, it is easily controlled around borders of flower beds and walks. Centipedegrass is native to China and southeast Asia and ranks between Bermudagrass and St. Augustinegrass in leaf width, shoot density, and stem size.

Its popularity as a lawn grass stems from its adaptation to low fertility conditions and its low maintenance requirements. Where Centipedegrass is adapted and properly managed, it has few serious pest problems. It is particularly well adapted to the sandy, acid soils of the southeastern United States. Its westward movement is somewhat limited by severe iron deficiencies that develop in the alkaline soils of the arid regions. And, its northward movement is restricted by low temperatures. Centipedegrass is slightly more cold tolerant than St. Augustine grass, but extended periods of 5°F or less can kill Centipedegrass.

Centipede is the ideal grass for the homeowner who wants a fairly attractive lawn that needs little care. Centipede does not require much fertilizer or mowing, and compared to other lawn grasses, is generally resistant to most insects and diseases. It will, however, respond to good management and provide a very attractive turf. Centipede can be established from either seeds or sprigs. Since it is slow growing, it takes longer than bermuda and St. Augustine to completely cover an area.

Centipede lawns may be overseeded in the fall with a cool-season grass to create a temporary green lawn over the winter. Annual rye is a good choice.

Zoysiagrass is a warm-season grass, adapted to warm climates. Although slow to become established, Zoysia is very water efficient with few pest problems. Zoysiagrass forms a thick turf, prickly to the touch.

Two common species of zoysiagrass are:
Zoysia Tenuifolia, a fine-leafed dwarf plant used as ground cover and
Zoysia Japonica, a Japanese lawn grass that is very drought tolerant.

Zoysiagrass is very low maintenance. It has high tolerance for heat, drought, and heavy traffic. It will tolerate some shade. It requires little nitrogen, however it retains better color during cool weather if fertilized during the fall, although it may be difficult to mow evenly.